Cold mergers rarely work, especially when there is one chair and more than one contender.
This is the case with the “radicals” who wanted to unite the family but, given the result, did not take the trouble to agree on a political line beforehand.
The Nice example is a good illustration: between Hervé Cael’s Valoisian radicals and Patrick Mottard’s left-wing radicals, the mix didn’t come together.
With the former positioned in the center-right, an unconditional supporter of Christian Estrosi, and the latter on the left refusing any support for the mayor of Nice, how can it possibly work?
Smiles remain but each goes their own way because while a political compromise can be found, it is always more difficult regarding power and the accompanying positions…
In any case, that’s what happened in Nice…read below.
[During the presentation of the New Year’s wishes] a month ago I expressed my intention to leave the Radical, Social and Liberal Movement (MRSL). Over a year ago, I enthusiastically approved the merger of the PRG with the Valoisian Radical Party so that values of secularism, social justice, territorial promotion, and European federalism would be present in the post-presidential debate, but disappointment quickly set in. At no point did the new formation weigh in during a period rich in events. Worse, the equal merger quickly became a takeover by the Valoisians over a poorly defended PRG by its former leaders, with the exception of the very active Guillaume Lacroix.
Thus, in January, I acknowledged this painful conclusion by announcing my intention to leave the MRSL. I must say that practically all of the ex-PRG 06 – with only one exception – agreed with this decision. And quite naturally, we turned to the national structure known as “The Left Radicals” led by Stéphane Saint-André and Virginie Rozière. Even though we intend to take initiatives, especially at the local level, continuing to promote radical values within a national structure was important to us.
But today, it is all the left radicals who remained in the MRSL that have nationally decided to follow the example of the 06, and Guillaume Lacroix, who finally became the official leader of the group, wants to reconstitute the PRG. Therefore, we can hope for a quick gathering of the two formations asserting themselves as radical and left-wing, and above all, a break from the practices of the former PRG. This revival must be an opportunity to finally invent this 21st-century radicalism, which has a role to play in the vast debate on the renewal of political ideas and practices. To be continued.
Patrick Mottard
